Apple has made no secret of its intention to become a major player in the Chinese market. The People’s Republic is regarded as a lucrative emerging market and the company has taken a lot of steps to ensure that its there to cash in on the boom. Over the next few years Apple also plans to radically increase its retail presence in the country. To make it easier for customers in China to purchase digital products, the folks at Cupertino have now inked a deal with UnionPay, accepting it as a payment option for customers in the country.
China UnionPay happens to be the most popular payment card in the country, and thus it products cardholders a simply and convenient way to make purchases on Apple’s content stores. Customers will now be able to link their Apple ID with a UnionPay debit or credit card for one-top purchases.
China is already Apple’s second largest market for app downloads, explains Eddy Cue, who is the senior vice president of internet software and services at the company. Adding support for UnionPay means customers have more convenience when purchasing apps from the App Store.
Some also perceive this as the first step in the company’s larger plan, which is to bring Apple Pay to China. The new payments service is only live in the U.S. for now and multiple reports have suggested that the People’s Republic might be one of the first few countries to receive Apple Pay once its exclusive run in the U.S. ends.
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